Senate passes bill that forces telemarketers to identify themselves within 30 seconds
NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senator Jon Bramnick that requires telemarketers to identify themselves and who they represent within the first 30 seconds of a sales call.
“When you answer a telemarketer’s call, you should know right up front who they are and who they work for,” said Bramnick (R-21). “If they’re on the up and up, telemarketing firms should have no issue with this bill. It’s the people who want to scam you who are afraid to identify themselves in a way that’s verifiable by the consumer.”
Senator Bramnick’s legislation (S-921), referred to by some in the press as the “Seinfeld bill,” requires telemarketers to disclose detailed information about who they work for at the start of a call.
In addition to accurately identifying their own name and the purpose of the call, telemarketers must provide the customer with the name and telephone number of the person or business that they are representing.
The bill also mandates that telemarketers display their mailing address and the address of the business they represent on their website and in any written communication sent to a customer.
Failure to adhere to the new disclosure requirements would result in a disorderly person’s offense, along with other applicable penalties, in accordance with the Consumer Fraud Act.
